Yonex Power Cushion Eclipsion 2 Men's Review

Comfort - Score: 3.0

Although the fit of the Power Eclipsion 2s was initially very narrow, our team found that the shoes opened up as the playtest went on. Don't expect these shoes to feel plush and soft — they go for a firmer approach, focusing on stability and performance over comfort. Granville explained, "The upper materials are very stiff (not supple at all), so getting into the shoes took more effort than most shoes do. Admittedly, the upper stiffness overshadowed my other impressions of the shoes every time I put them on. The upside was that these Eclipsion 2s provided a very stable platform for my feet, though there wasn't much in the way of ankle stability. There was little to no arch support, and the insoles felt like an afterthought with their thin, non-conforming insole materials. The narrow fit worked fine with my narrow feet, but there was no extra room in the snug toe box."

Like Granville, Troy has narrow feet, and he found a good fit. He said, "When I first slipped these Yonex Power Cushion Eclipsion 2s onto my feet I found that they fit like gloves. There was plenty of comfort in the toe box, and I didn't experience any unwanted rubbing or pinching in the forefoot region. During my first hitting session I had these shoes cinched tightly, and I started to feel some pain in the arch region. It felt like my feet were cramping or that the blood flow may have been restricted. The TPU shank was very rigid, which caused some unwanted pressure on the lateral side of my feet. I tried keeping the laces a bit looser than I typically like them, which mostly alleviated the pain. The only downside to doing this was that I wasn't achieving a very secure fit in the heel. I found ventilation to be average compared to other shoes in the 14 to 15 ounce range."

Out of all the playtesters, Sean enjoyed the comfort of the Power Eclipsion 2s the most. He recalled, "I remember doing the fit test for these shoes months ago and thinking that the width was contoured too tightly around my feet. I'm not sure what changed in the intervening months, because now the fit feels absolutely perfect. That great fit might be due to the significant break-in. The shoes opened up nicely as the playtest progressed; patience was key. I wouldn't call the Eclipsion 2s comfy or plush, but they are responsive and snug, and I never felt discomfort while playing. They don't ride very high off the ground or have a lot of midsole cushioning, and the uppers fit tightly and don't breathe particularly well, but that just means these are shoes I'd only wear on court."

Even with his narrow feet, Chris found his pair to fit too tightly, which caused some discomfort while playing. He remedied this by wearing one pair of socks instead of his usual two pairs. He said, "I really enjoyed the previous Power Cushion Eclipsions, so I was excited to test these Eclipsion 2s. Unfortunately, I didn't find the same level of comfort. In the Eclipsion 2s the lateral side of the TPU shank wrapped up around the midsole and dug into the sides of my feet. There was discomfort throughout the test in that area, but I was able to get an acceptable fit by wearing one pair of thin socks to alleviate some pressure there. I had no comfort issues other than that. The cushioning felt great and the uppers broke in nicely. I was pleased with the ventilation, and my feet never ran hot."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 4.3

The Power Eclipsion 2s' biggest strength was their ability to support our testers' feet through a variety of movements. Troy appreciated the amount of confidence he had in his pair. He said, "The support and stability were probably the best attributes of these shoes. The AgilityBolt, which forms the midfoot shank and heel counter, was very rigid. This may not have helped in the comfort department, but it did a great job of keeping my feet locked in and providing lateral stability. During grinding points, where I had to sprint from side to side along the baseline, I was confident that the Eclipsion 2s were going to stabilize my feet and help prevent me from rolling an ankle. When I had these shoes cinched up tightly my feet were well supported — maybe a little too much in the midfoot and arch region. Even when I loosened the laces a bit for comfort, these shoes still had enough support to keep me feeling confident in my movement around the court."

Chris found little to fault in the stability department. "The Power Cushion Eclipsion 2s are very stable and supportive shoes," he said. "The large TPU structure in the shoe's chassis makes it very rigid, similar to an adidas Barricade. There was very little twisting from the chassis, which made this shoe very stable when moving side to side. The upper materials also proved to be very supportive, so I never had to worry about sliding around inside the shoes."

Granville experienced the same secure fit that Chris found. He said, "The snug fit prevented any unwanted movement inside the Power Eclipsion 2s. They had a very stable feel, which was nicely accentuated by the sturdy upper materials. The midfoot shank was very effective in pushing the flex point up to the ball of the feet, which I thought was excellent."

Sean was impressed by the Eclipsion 2's ability to retain its supportive qualities as it broke in. He said, "Even after the break-in period, I tried to bend and twist the Power Cushion Eclipsion 2s to little success; they are very rigid shoes. They aren't particularly easy to push off of while moving because of the lack of flex, but when I really dug into my movements the Eclipsion 2s were pretty much immovable objects."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 3.4

Despite having similar support to hallmark stability-oriented shoes like the Asics Gel Resolutions and the adidas Barricades, our playtesters found that the Power Cushion Eclipsion 2s did not offer the same impressive durability as other shoes in this class. Although Sean was having a very positive experience with the Eclipsion 2s overall, he was not pleased with all the wear he was seeing on his pair. He said, "I was really disappointed by how quickly the toe area on my left shoe went bald. Even though there is plenty of rubber in the toe area, I think the compound used must just wear down quickly, which is unfortunate."

The durability didn't live up to Chris' standards for stability-oriented shoes. He explained, "The outsoles were wearing down under my big toes, and I would have liked a little more durability. The Eclipsion 2s held up better than speed-oriented shoes, but they didn't last like Barricades, despite offering a similar supportive ride. The durability on the bumpers and uppers seemed better and resisted hard-court abuse well."

Troy was disappointed that Yonex decided not to include a durability guarantee with the Eclipsion 2s. He said, "I found the outsole durability to be a bit lower than average considering how much these shoes weigh. Because the Eclipsion 2s have a very similar weight to my Asics Gel Resolution 7s and adidas Barricade 2018s, I held them up to a high standard for durability. First off, I was surprised that Yonex does not back these with a durability guarantee since they're in a similar performance category to the durability-guaranteed Gel Resolution 7s and Barricade 2018s. These Eclipsion 2s have a significant amount of rubber to protect the toe region, and I found the toe durability to be sufficient. The area underneath the balls of my feet showed moderate wear at the end of the playtest, giving these shoes a solid 4 to 6 weeks of wear. The rubber used to form the outsoles seems to be a bit softer or gummier. It was great for traction, but it wore down faster than I would have liked, especially considering the fact that they aren't backed by a durability guarantee."

Granville was the only tester who thought the durability ended up about where he expected. He said, "This was a long playtest, so wear patterns were prominent after several months of play, especially in the toes, heels and lateral edges. The outsole material seems soft, with solid traction. Considering the traction, the durability seems adequate or average to good."

Traction - Score: 4.4

Along with their supportive structure, the Power Cushion Eclipsion 2s' ability to grab the court on push-offs, while still providing enough give, translated into worry free movement for our testers. Chris explained how his pair's traction helped him feel confident while moving. "I liked the level of traction I found in the Power Cushion Eclipsion 2s," he said. "There was a nice blend of grip and give, which allowed me to easily transition into and out of shots. When I needed to add a little slide out of a shot, it felt natural. Likewise, the shoes grabbed the court well when I was looking to push off aggressively. No complaints from me here!"

Granville was succinct in his analysis, saying, "The Eclipsion 2s' traction was good due in part to the softer outsole material."

Sean really enjoyed the level of traction he felt, especially once he broke his pair in. He said, "Even though the rubber on the outsoles wore down very quickly, I loved the traction of these shoes. Maybe it's something of a guilty pleasure of mine, but I love how I can move when the toes of my shoes are smoothed out and the rest of the outsole tread is intact."

In a similar vein, Troy felt the traction improved as the playtest went on. He explained, "These Power Cushion Eclipsion 2s provided a good amount of grip out on the hard courts. The Endurance Rubber II compound that comprised the outsoles felt softer and more supple than a lot of the shoes I've playtested recently. During my initial hitting sessions I found the outsoles to be a bit too sticky for my liking, but the traction settled in wonderfully after a short break-in period. From about the third hitting session, all the way to the end of the playtest, I loved the amount of grip and slip that these shoes provided. There was just enough give for me to feel comfortable coming to a controlled stop from a full sprint. When taking an aggressive lunge toward the ball, the outsoles grabbed the court well. The great blend of traction combined with the solid stability features allowed me to forget about what was on my feet and focus on the next shot."

Weight - Score: 3.8

Coming in at just over 14 ounces (US size 10.5), the Yonex Power Cushion Eclipsion 2s narrowly missed the benchmark weight for our lightweight category (14 ounces). Most of our playtesters felt that any extra weight was put to good use, however, and that the weight felt comparable to similar offerings. Troy elaborated, "On the scale and on the court, the weight of the Power Cushion Eclipsion 2s was very similar to the Gel Resolution 7s, and both models felt a bit stiff out of the box. Once I broke them in, these Eclipsion 2s began to flex with my feet well and started to feel a little more streamlined. The more I played in these shoes, the better they felt. The weight-to-support ratio was good, meaning that they felt rather light and fast for their high level of foot support and stability."

Sean wasn't upset about the overall weight, but he felt that the weight distribution could have been better. He said, "At 14.2 ounces, these aren't the lightest shoes on the market, but they definitely didn't feel heavy, either. I would put them right on the edge between mid-weight and lightweight. It seems like most of the weight went into the shoe's stability features, like the enlarged shank, and not toward midsole cushioning or outsole durability, which I think would've improved these shoes as a whole."

Chris' lukewarm sentiments stemmed from the discomfort he was experiencing from the shank. He said, "The Power Cushion Eclipsion 2s felt about middle of the road in terms of weight. The shoes are very stiff, so I was definitely always aware of them while playing. I felt like I could move well in them, but these weren't the kind of shoes I could put on and forget about. The large TPU structure through the shank made the shoes feel a tad clunky to me when I was transitioning from heel to toe."

Granville focused on the static weight of the shoes, commenting, "Considering the heavier upper materials, the solid shank and the fairly thick outsole, these are relatively light at 14.2 ounces."

Overall - Score: 3.8